[Lets choose] the ENworld un-word of 2008

[Obryn]

For some people, it's probably true, right?

God forbid I use a videogame analogy -- the only videogame I play is Rock Band -- but I know players and designers of fighting games who think that the ultimate goal is to make all of the characters balanced. As I said, I don't play, but as a novice playing another novice, I'd be pretty annoyed if I had no chance with Sonya against Scorpion. (Yes, that game, the original, is the last fighting game I played. On Sega Genesis.)

RPGs are obviously different, but for at least some people -- lots of whom are 4E fans -- balance is pretty important to their fun. And I can understand it. I want balance, too ... I just enforce it (as DM) or trust my DM to enforce it (as a player).

As an aside, for all the "verisimilitude" haters, if you can give me another word in the English language that has the same precision of meaning, I'll be glad to use it instead. If you can't, calling for it to be "un-worded" is --------ing ---hat-ish in the ---her----ing extreme.

(Are you trying to fill in the blanks? Are you? Be honest!)

And yet none of those words actually means the same thing as "verisimilitude." Surely you haven't missed all the threads in which some poor sap used "realism" when he meant "verisimilitude" and got 20 sneering replies explaining to him that "fireballs and elves aren't realistic, you stupid bastard." Have you?

"Verisimilitude" is an extraordinarily precise word. I have the vocabulary of God, and I don't know of another word with the same meaning. Sure, you can get the meaning across with phrases -- "internally consistent realism," for instance -- but not with one word.

I'd be in favor of shortening it, though, because that's just how lazy I roll. "Dude, healing surges offend v-tude!"

You forgot the emoticon.

Twice.

EPIC FAIL!

-O

 

[El Mahdi]

I'd be in favor of shortening it, though, because that's just how lazy I roll. "Dude, healing surges offend v-tude!"

Along with "Ubiquitous", I also vote for "v-tude".







(Just messing with you dude, I don't care either way.)

 

[TarionzCousin]

I know i´m nothing special just because i started this thread but... the deeper idea of this was to look at the words we´ve used and smile about their over-importance and heavy misuse.
Smile, you know. Remember together, laugh how serious we took this stuff. I mean, don´t we already have enough threads a la "they changed cheese to meat in FR, how i hate it, let me tell you!"? Do we need flamewars about word usage?

I have found this thread to be very entertaining. It's a good mix of snipes, quips, and interesting opinions. Plus, it's got some funny stuff.

Its really hard to pick a winner here. All this videogamey, simulationist, nerd rage is breaking the thread's versimillitude. Come on peoples, we have to make up our minds if we want a terms thats teh awesome as opposed to being stuck with one thats full of fail.

"You must spread some Experience Points around before giving it to ExploderWizard again."

 

[Desdichado]

You forgot the emoticon.

Twice.

EPIC FAIL!

-O

He has the Fail of God.

 

[dogoftheunderworld]

"This!"

The combination of "Ooh! Ooh! Me too!" with "I'm too lazy to write even one complete sentence!" is just annoying as hell.

"This!" .... may just win. I will now go edit all of my previous posts /shame

 

[Joshua Randall]

"Verisimilitude" is an extraordinarily precise word. I have the vocabulary of God [...]

arrogant
1 : exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner <an arrogant official>
2 : proceeding from or characterized by arrogance <an arrogant reply>

 

[pogre]

ditto!

this.

 

[pogre]

"This!"

The combination of "Ooh! Ooh! Me too!" with "I'm too lazy to write even one complete sentence!" is just annoying as hell.

ditto!

 

[Jeff Wilder]

arrogant
1 : exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner <an arrogant official>
2 : proceeding from or characterized by arrogance <an arrogant reply>

I'm really not sure how I would have gone on without your succinct and timely -- and well-intentioned, I'm sure -- intervention, Joshua. Gosh, thanks. You're just the bee's knees. And so funny! But I'm sure lots and lots of people tell you so, so you probably don't need to hear it from li'l ol' me.


Jeff

 

[jdrakeh]

I have the vocabulary of God. . .

Unfortunately, you have the grace and good manners of a syphilitic monkey.